Industrial
Homework/Piecework

Under the Fair Labor
Standards Act (FLSA), industrial homework (also called "piecework") means
the production by any covered person in a home, apartment, or room in a
residential establishment, of goods for an employer who permits or authorizes
such production, regardless of the source (whether obtained from an employer or
elsewhere) of the materials used by the homeworker in producing these items.

The performance of certain types of industrial homework is
prohibited under the FLSA unless the employer has obtained prior certification
from the Department of Labor. Restrictions apply in the manufacture of knitted
outerwear, gloves and mittens, buttons and buckles, handkerchiefs,
embroideries, and jewelry, if there are no safety and health hazards. The
manufacture of women's apparel (and jewelry under hazardous conditions) is
generally prohibited. All individually covered homework is subject to the
FLSA's minimum wage,
overtime, and
recordkeeping
requirements. Employers must provide workers with handbooks to record time,
expenses, and pay information.